ISLAMABAD, May 29: The health sector is to get Rs5.5 billion for the financial year 2004-05 under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) against the demand of Rs6.81 billion, official documents suggest.

The allocations, which have been approved by the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC), however, exceed by Rs1.75 billion the allocation the health ministry got during the year 2003-04 when a total budget of Rs3.79 billion was approved.

The total estimated cost of all the schemes in the sector, both the ongoing and the new ones, is Rs3.55 billion.

According to the summary for the PSDP 2004-05 the ministry of health had demanded Rs6.81 billion, but the APCC, as proposed by the priorities committee, approved only Rs5.5 billion for the sector.

In addition to 27 ongoing projects, four new projects have been identified for which allocation of Rs349.2 million has been proposed by the priorities committee for the fiscal year 2004-05.

Of the four new schemes, the major chunk would go to the rehabilitation of Children Hospital of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for which Rs328 million have been proposed with a foreign exchange component( aid) of Rs325 million.

The priorities committee has also proposed an amount of Rs5 million for the year 2004-05 for Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital Complex, Bannu, the estimated cost of which is Rs300 million. Similarly, Rs10 million will be allocated for the national plan of action for non-communicable diseases, the total estimated cost of which is Rs39.5 million, while Rs6.271 million have been earmarked for institutionalisation of health system research, establishment of centres and field areas and the total estimated cost of the project is Rs16.3 million.

Of the ongoing projects, the national programme for family planning and primary health care is likely to get the major share of PSDP as Rs3.4 billion have been proposed by the priorities committee in the year 2004-05.

Similarly, the expanded programme of immunisation (EPI) would get Rs800 million, enhanced HIV/AIDs control programme Rs227 million, women's health project Rs200 million, reproductive health project Rs97.8 million, improvement of nutrition through primary health care and nutrition education/public awareness Rs67.23 million, roll back malaria control programme Rs29.5 million, strengthening of EPI services through GAVI grant assistance Rs60 million, health services academy, Islamabad, Rs5 million, establishment of 200-bedded hospital, D.I.Khan, Rs20 million, in-country training programme for safe management of newborn infant, Children Hospital (Pims) Rs8 million, upgradation of federal government dispensaries as filter clinics/MCH centre Karachi Rs8.1 million, national tuberculosis control programme Rs15 million, renovation and upgradation of facilities at Pims Rs8 million, Upgradation and renovation of Federal government services hospital (polyclinic) Islamabad Rs52.9 million, Quaid-i- Azam Postgraduate Medical College in Pims Rs20 million, upgradation of patient treatment facilities at the department of nephrology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College (JPMC), Karachi, Rs12.8 million, establishment of cardiac surgery facility at Pims Rs50 million, integrated mental health Rs10 million, construction of two ICUs (intensive care unit) in Liaquat Medical College, Jamshoro, Hyderabad Rs2 million, extension of federal medical centre into hospital at central government servant's colony Rs12.4 million, in-country training programme for safe mother- hood, MCH centre, Pims, Rs5 million, national health information resource centre Rs10 million, burns care centre at Pims Rs50 million, college of medical technology National Institute of Health (NIH) Rs10 million and national health policy unit Rs5 million.